A comparative study of two estrogen dosages in combined oral contraceptives among Sudanese women.

A prospective study of two combined oral contraceptives was conducted in the Sudan. No pregnancies occurred. Overall incidence of side effects was low. Headache was most frequently reported. Elevations were observed for weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and SGOT and SGPT values while a decrease was seen for hemoglobin levels. Menstrual irregularities were not a problem for the users. Total 6-month use discontinuation rates were low for both pill groups.

The occupational hazards of formulating oral contraceptives--a survey of plant employees.

In May 1976 an investigation of a factory in Puerto Rico which formulates oral contraceptives revealed that during the previous 12 months five of the company's twenty-five employees (20%), and twelve of the company's thirty female employees (40%) had experienced symptoms associated with hyperestrogenism. The affected males had gynecomastia and three of them also reported a history of decreased libido or impotence. The affected females each had had at least one episode of intermenstrual bleeding during the preceding 12 months. There was an estimated relative risk of 4.3 for intermenstrual bleeding in nonclerical female employees compared with matched controls who did not work at the plant. Elevated levels of plasma ethinyl estradiol were twice as frequent in the two highest-risk job categories compared with the rest of the factory population, but the difference in prevalence of elevated levels was not statistically significant (P = 0.08). Wide variations in mestranol concentration were noted in the environmental dust samples. Prompt consideration should be given to establishing health standards for persons occupationally exposed to estrogens in view of the possible long-term sequelae of such exposure.

Birth control after 1984.

1) Eric Blair (alias George Orwell) can rest easy in his grave, because birth control by governmentally imposed methods, such as incorporation of a contraceptive agent into drinking water, is totally unfeasible by 1984. 2) Fundamentally new birth control procedures in the female (for example, a once-a-month luteolytic or abortifacient agent) and a male contraceptive pill probably will not be developed until the 1980's at the earliest, and then only if major steps of the type outlined in this article are instituted in the early 1970's. Development during the next decade of practical new methods of birth control without important incentives for continued active participation by the pharmaceutical industry is highly unlikely. If none are developed, birth control in 1984 will not differ significantly from that of today.